Austin approves well-taken
care of doctor gratuitous to undocumented people

Dec. 3, 2000

AUSTIN (EFE) - - The undocumented immigrants,
who have contributed to the economic bonanza of the capital of
Texas with one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the nation,
have, from yesterday, medical aid guaranteed by the local government.

The city council of the city of Austin
approved a measurement, impelled by the Commission for Migratory
Subjects, under which the undocumented people will have gratuitous
medical attention in clinics and hospitals.

Luis Plasencia, president of the Commission
of Migratory Subjects, described the decision as the city council
like " an historical step ", since Austin is the first
city of the state in extending these services to the undocumented
people.

For Plasencia, professor of migratory policies
in the University of Texas in Austin, " the city of Austin
was discriminating against the undocumented people ".

According to academic, the city a resolution
of public health, approved had not implemented in 1997, that
it declared to Austin like a refuge " where all the people
had to deal themselves with equality, respect and dignity in
spite of migratory his estatus ".

Until now, only the immigrants of limited
resources, but with permanent residence, could receive well-taken
care of gratuitous doctor in the city.

Steve Morris, coordinator of the Program
of Medical aid, known in Austin by abbreviations MAP, explained
to EFE that stops to obtain these benefits, the applicants must
present/display identification and tests of address in the Harris
county and being of low income.

Morris emphasized that to receive the special
card that guarantees the services of health, the applicant must
reunite the entrance requirements that also correspond to the
legal immigrants.

In general, these services will not be
available for those who do not gain the sufficient thing to pay
for a deprived insurance of health, but reunite the requirements
either to receive aid of the federal government.

Thus, for example, the maximum entrance
must be of 696 dollars monthly so that the immigrant can obtain
the health card. Previously, the limit was of 297 dollars monthly,
reason why many people could not receive this benefit of the
city.

If the family is composed by two people,
the maximum of monthly income is of 938 dollars, and for a family
of three the maximum is of 1.180 dollars, indicated Morris.

The card, that is granted " in a matter
of two hours " according to Morris, is due to renew every
six months to continue receiving the gratuitous medical care
and medicines to low cost in diverse clinical hospitable centers
and of Austin.

For nonlucrative the communitarian clinics,
that take care of the population undocumented immigrant, "
this medical card will allow us to refer the specialized cases
more to the hospitals ", said to Cindy Ybarra, director
of the Good clinic the Samaritan one, that it takes care of an
average of six thousand patients the year.

Nevertheless, the problem " will be
to convince to the population immigrant of which an institution,
a city council, wants to help them ", affirmed Ybarra, whose
clinic is located in an episcopal church.

Another problem that worries to the suppliers
about health is the bilingual lack of medical personnel and interpreters
in the hospitals of the area.

Nevertheless, Ybarra emphasized that the
program is the " wonderful news for the community undocumented
immigrant, mainly for the men, since the priority of our clinic
is the maternal-infantile care ".